Audit of National Call Centers and the Inquiry Routing and Information System

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted this audit to evaluate whether the Veterans Benefits Administration’s (VBA) call centers and internet-based Inquiry Routing and Information System (IRIS) provided timely and adequate information. In FY 2008, VBA began consolidating public contact activities into eight national call centers, one pension call center, and one IRIS center. In FY 2009, individuals reached an agent 76 percent of the time. Of those reaching an agent, agents answered 72 percent of their questions correctly. When we combined VBA’s reported data on access and accuracy, we concluded that any one call placed by a unique caller had a 49 percent chance of reaching an agent and getting the correct information. This occurred because VBA did not have a central entity to provide leadership and guidance, establish sufficient performance standards to evaluate timeliness and accuracy, provide adequate training, and implement an efficient call-routing system. VBA initiated some corrective measures by recruiting for a contact operations manager, adjusting the routing of calls, and increasing the number of telephone lines. In FY 2011, VBA plans to implement a new process to route calls more efficiently. Before June 2009, call center and IRIS staff did not always follow procedures to safeguard personal information. In June 2009, VBA modified their procedures and provided refresher training. As a result, the compliance rate for IRIS and the call centers improved to 96 and 93 percent, respectively. The Under Secretary for Benefits agreed with our findings and recommendations and made acceptable plans to implement appropriate actions.